Championship: Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes dominate for Surrey at Kent

Ollie Pope

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Ollie Pope has scored 417 runs at an average of 69.50 this season
LV= County Championship Division One, County Ground, Beckenham (day one)
Surrey 318-4: Pope 96, Foakes 86*, Patel 76; Gilchrist 2-73
Kent: Yet to bat
Kent 1 pts, Surrey 3 pts
Match scorecard

Division One leaders Surrey reached 318-4 at stumps, on day one of their County Championship game with Kent at Beckenham.

Ollie Pope hit 96 in a stand of 178 with Ben Foakes, who was unbeaten on 86, while opener Ryan Patel made 76.

The division’s bottom side had reduced Surrey to 123-3 shortly after lunch, but despite 2-73 from Nathan Gilchrist, Kent laboured for most of the day.

Backed by a sizable number of travelling fans, Surrey won the toss and chose to bat, to a collective groan from the home fan base, demoralised after conceding 500 runs or more in every first innings so far this season.

Their initial pessimism proved well-grounded as openers Rory Burns and Patel were almost entirely untroubled during the morning session. Aside from…

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